Tag Archive | authors I enjoy

“Outside of a dog, a book is probably man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx

So, I hurt my finger. Not badly, just badly enough that typing became difficult for maybe a week, which meant I had an excuse to sit around and read all the things. Now I’m finally getting around to writing my book report(s). Have you read any of these? Tell me what you think about them in the comments.

Stuff I read:

Carrie, by Stephen King.I had never read this book because I knew the basic story and it sounded unpleasant. When I read King as a kid, it was strictly “horror” to me–slightly forbidden, definitely scary, but mentally in the realm of “popular novel.” Reading as an adult (and an author) I’m fascinated by how twisted and textured the novels are as well. If this were a different post, I could point out the elements of classic Tragedy (with a capital T) in Carrie, and a lot of King’s books. There’s a kind of Greek Chorus of observers, and Carrie is, like Lear and Hamlet and Antigone even, someone who evokes more pathos than empathy. (I’m trying to think what her fatal flaw would be. Tell me in the comments if you have an idea.)

I love when a book tells a great story AND I think about it months later and go “Ah ha. I see what you did there.” Which is not to say I don’t love a Dan Brown novel on an airplane, but that’s sort of like Fruit Loops. It tastes good as you gobble it up, but it’s not something you chew on and savor.

The Day She Died, by Catroina McPherson. This is an English author, and a random pick from the library’s new books shelf. A lucky pick, as it turns out. I was expecting more of a mystery triller, and it works on that level. But it’s also a sort of psychological piece as well. I’m continually on the lookout for mystery/thrillers like Gillian Flynn’s books, and this is kind of along those lines, though not as hard-edged. For me there was the mystery and suspense (Who should she trust? Who is lying? Is she even reliable as a narrator?) but it was also interesting how step with good intent can lead to another, and another, until you’re totally embroiled. I think I read this in one sitting.

I Want it That Way, by Ann Aguirre.This is the kick off title in Harlequin’s New Adult line, and here’s what’s cool about it. I have ambivalent feelings about the whole “New Adult” genre, because I loved books about college aged protagonists when I was in high school. But they used to simply be shelved on the fantasy/mystery/romance shelves. So what makes book “New Adult,” age or content? I don’t know.

However, I know a good book when I read it. And I Want it that Wayis a good read. You should know the characters have lots of sex without guilt or moralizing. The heroine is 20; she and the hero develop a good rapport/friendship before doing the deed. Nadia is in college and sees her hot neighbor and is all “What’s up with the brooding hot guy?” Turns out that what’s up is brooding hot guy is not a secret BDSM master, or a vampire CEO. He’s a single father at an age when he should be in college going to keg parties. But Nadia really really likes him. And he’s totally charmed by her, though he has to think about the effect a relationship would have on his son. So this is primarily a romance (I mentioned lots of sex, right?) but it also is about taking on adult responsibilities and knowing when you’re ready for that.

This is what I imagined when I hear the term “New Adult.” It’s basically a book for people who love YA, but also love racy romance. Which is a lot of people, because that’s how 50 shades happened. If New Adult is going to be a thing, then I hope there’s more of it that’s like this.

Have you read any of these? Share your opinion in the comments. And I would love a recommendation for what to read next. (Or add to my TBR shelf. Whichever.)

Mary Shelley, arguably the first Science Fiction Writer. (This is relevant to this post.)

I love when the premium channels like HBO and Showtime run free preview weekends, because it reassures me that I’m not missing much not subscribing to them. Even if it does mean I have to wait until the DVDs come out to catch up on Game of Thrones. Or read the series of books full of spoilers that bearded guy is writing. Whatever—

Cue record scratch thought derailment sound effect. That (above) was the start of a Movie Monday post, because my mother has started reading blogs, which is a blog post in itself, and she has been nagging encouraging me to blog more often. It goes like this: “That other blog has a theme for every day of the week. Why don’t you do that? You’re so smart and funny, you should write that in your blog. You would have a lot more followers if you posted more often. This guy has way more followers than you, and he’s a monk.” (I am not even making that up.)

So I sit down to write a Movie Monday post. I’ll write about Ender’s Game, which I watched during the HBO free preview this weekend. Only I went looking for that faux article about George RR Martin writing spoilers for the GOT TV show, and then I found the picture below.

Photo taken (and tweeted) by the amazing artist/photographer Sarah Allegra (@sallegra). It is only tangentially related to this post.

Here follows my exact thought process from that moment until this:

1. Aw, that’s cute! GRRM has a little stuffed dire wolf. Oh hey, that other guy has a little stuffed unicorn. Oh HEY, that’s Peter S. Beagle author of The Last Unicorn which is an amazing book (and an animated movie, so I guess this is still Movie Monday.) OMG The animals from their books are totally kissing noses! That’s so adorable!

2. Why is that funny? Two venerable old guys being dorks with toys from their books. That sort of makes them cooler. Authors! They’re just like us! Then I’m like, oh yeah, Ender’s Game.

3. Ender’s Game is kind of a venerable book itself, a military science fiction novel that explores the psychology of war and society, pretty much just like Starship Troopers (the novel) did, which also had giant bug-like aliens. I wonder why that is? Is it because the insectoid shape makes them seem true alien and icky, where a more mammalian thing might look like you could have it for a pet?

4. But Starship Troopers (the movie) was more action-y. It also had a lot more decapitations and impalements and also some brain sucking, if you like that sort of thing. Much more than the book.

5. This whole blog has become about venerable white guys who write science fiction and fantasy. That’s just not right. I need to talk about some women science fiction writers.

6. Which women science fiction writers should I recommend? There’s Anne McCaffrey and Madeline L’Engle of course. Ursula L’Guin and Connie Willis. Would my blog readers be interested in them? I should go look up who are recent women science fiction writers (other than Suzanne Collins).

Literally the first line of A Wrinkle in Time. (This is the book that made me want to write books.)

7. This first Google hit is a list of science fiction FOR girls, which is not the same thing, especially since half these books are by men.

1. Gillian Flynn. This is not a YA author. (Not by any stretch of the imagination.) She writes books about grisly murders and really twisted up characters. Her book Gone Girl is a best seller, and deservedly so. Her books keep me riveted, not just with the plot twist, but because she’s got this astounding facility with voice.

Also, it is really hard to knock me to a place where I’m staring at the book going “Holy $%^&! I did NOT see that coming.”

[YA disclaimer: I’d rate her books almost an R, not for any graphic sex but for disturbing psychology… in both the killers and the protagonists.]

4. These floats, covered entirely in flowers (like the Tournament of Roses parade), from Holland’s Bloemencorso.

Look at that little guy on the bottom, helping out with the grooming. So. Cute.

Speaking of cute. This is.

5. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper. First off, I LOVED that movie. JGL did an incredible job playing young Bruce Willis. His mannerisms and line delivery were dead on. But I feel like I just discovered this guy. I know he was in Inception (and really great in that, too). But when did he go from being “Wow, that kid from Third Rock From The Sun can really act!” to “Wow, he’s kinda hot as well. A little skinny, but… day-um.”

That’s it for this Friday. I guess I’ll have to pull my head out of my book long enough to find new things to be obsessed with next week. Please make suggestions in the comments. Seriously.

Want to talk books in real time? I’m doing a live chat tonight (Thursday, June 23) at 9 pm ET/ 8 pm CT at The Knight Agency website. Click here to go directly to the chat room. Enter any combo of user name and password.

Now, on to Jinx by Meg Cabot!

What the back cover says:

Jean Honeychurch hates her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean). What’s worse? Her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfortune seems to follow her everywhere she goes even to New York City, where Jinx has moved to get away from the huge mess she caused in her small hometown. Her aunt and uncle welcome her to their Manhattan town house, but her beautiful cousin Tory isn’t so thrilled. . . .

In fact, Tory is hiding a dangerous secret one that could put them all in danger. Soon Jinx realizes it isn’t just bad luck she’s been running from . . . and that the curse she has lived under since the day she was born may be the only thing that can save her life.

What I say:

This is a delightful book that has been on my shelf for a long time. Maybe not since it came out but… well, a while. I grabbed it to have something to read while my car was being inspected, and as often happens when I pick up a Cabot book, I spent the afternoon reading “one more page.” (I did come home from the garage first, though.)

Cabot’s narrative voice sparkles, and her characters are effortlessly realized. Her dialog is always right on the mark. I love how the story and characters evolve through dialog, without sacrificing the zippiness. I love The Guy in particular. He was just the right contrast to Jean, the narrator and heroine, who’s nickname is Jinx for reasons that are pretty obvious from the jump. Or are they?

Jean, of course, discovers there’s more to the story, and she has to make peace with herself and her specialness (it is, after all paranormal book) as well as solve the problem of her cousin, who has embraced her specialness a little too fervently.

Unlike Cabot’s more recent books, like Abandon, which I talked about not long ago, this one is considerably lighter in tone and the plot is simpler as well. It suits a standalone book, and didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it.

It’s a lighter read, like a tasty sorbet, and perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.

What else are the Bookanista’s reading this week? Click below to find out!

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can’t help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she’s never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

She knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven, yet she can’t stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

What I say:

Abandon is the first in a trilogy. I don’t know why I didn’t realize this right away, but I just went, Oooo, I love it when Meg Cabot gets spooky! and dived right in. I was even more excited when I quickly realized it was a modern twist on the Persephone myth. (I don’t know why I love it, I just do; I know this seems counter to my feminist principles, but don’t judge me, okay!)

Anyway, Cabot confronts the passiveness of Persephone in her own story right away, and dispenses with it. Pierce, the Persephone in Abandon, dies in an accident, and because of hypothermia, is revived after an unusually long time, with no physical damage. But while she was dead, she traveled to the underworld and met John, who falls in love with her (of course) with that sort of epic instant destiny thing that is so popular nowadays.

But it works here because (a) it’s based on myth, and (b) you can see why Pierce is just the sort of girl to get right to the heart of the sort of guy that John is.

It helps that Cabot makes them so likable through her wonderful dialogue. In fact, John’s obvious vulnerability under his brooding exterior, and his temper and strength, were very appealing to me. (Translation: John is hot, and there’s a Beauty and the Beast vibe that I find irre-freaking-sistable. I do love a grumpy love interest.)

The book opens after the dying and coming back; this is told retrospectively as Pierce is trying to restart her life in a new place. While these flashback scenes were well done (especially the part in the Underworld), it’s really in the second half that the story started moving forward with the kind of drive I expect in a Cabot book. (I’m saying… stick with it.)

This book is basically Act One of this story. An entertaining Act One, but you need to know it ends with story problems that won’t be answered until book two.

So, a definite recommend, especially if you like Cabot’s Mediator series, or my personal favorite of hers: Avalon High. It was a refreshing read after all the dark dystopians. It was nice to see a heroine faced with saving a world that doesn’t suck, and falling in love with a young man that I found really appealing… in a brooding and slightly stalkery way. (I’m not sure how she pulled that off, but… yeah. That’s my favorite part.)

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life, but when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in her small California town of Serendipity Falls, she feels every urge she’s ever denied burning through her at the slightest glance from Haden Black. Theia knows she’s seen Haden before—not around town, but in her dreams.

Theia doesn’t understand how, but every night has them joined in a haunting world of eerie fantasy. The only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards Hayden is stronger than her fear. And as she slowly discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul. Here’s what I said:

“FALLING UNDER is absolutely irresistible. A lush, dark fairy tale full of magic, intrigue, and love. Genuinely scary and swooningly romantic in all the best ways, once I fell into this book, I couldn’t stop reading. Theia and Haden’s story utterly enthralled me, and I can’t wait to read more about Serendipity Falls.” –Rosemary Clement-Moore, author of THE SPLENDOR FALLS

Said it and meant it. I read this on the treadmill, and if you knew how much I hate to exercise, you would know what a big deal it is that I actually looked forward to going to the gym so I could get back to the story.

Falling Under is unapologetically romantic and surprisingly sensual. The fantasy elements are well developed and unique. There’s a definite macabre aesthetic to “Under”–that’s the ‘otherworld’ in this otherworldly fantasy–and when Gwen said that Tim Burton was one of her influences, I can definitely see that.

The writing is so very very good, and the characterization is fantastic. Theia is a strong heroine with a strong voice. I love that she has friends–good friends, and a real, complicated relationship with her father. Haden is a brooding sort, who will draw inevitable comparisons to a certain sparkly vampire. But I think he goes back to the source–there’s a lot of Heathcliff, with a healthy does of Lord Byron to give him enough dash and wit to keep him from getting oppressive.

Gosh, this was a really good read. It takes the “girl meets otherworldly boy” story and tells it really, exceptionally well, taking it in surprising directions. There’s nothing cookie cutter about this, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel.

I’m wiped out from the DFW Writer’s Conference this weekend. What a lot of awesomeness. Keynote speaker Jodi Thomas–who is simply one of the neatest people I’ve ever met–gave a speech that had me nodding and laughing and tearing up.

First, she talked about her drive into Canyon, TX, where she is writer in residence at the university there, and how just seeing a hitchhiker on the road can send her imagination spinning off into all direction, until by the time she reaches the office, she’s killed the hitchhiker and buried his body in the foundation of the Walmart construction site.

So true. When I lived out on the ranch, sometimes on the way home from work or the grocery store, I’d miss my exit and be in Refugio before I realized I wasn’t really flying a spaceship/on the run from mobsters/racing to save a captured princess from a dungeon…

(I was usually driving home from work at midnight, on an empty highway where I mostly just had to worry about hitting deer.)

What about you? Are you always somewhere else in your head? Do you sit through sermons imagining what would happen if ninjas dropped through the stained glass windows?